Reporting from experience

by Laura Sophia Jung and Marc Pfitzenmaier

Language has an enormous influence on our lives and can lead to some people being treated unequally. This often begins in our everyday use of language. When we think of a hospital scene, we generally envision the doctor as a man, the nurse as a woman. When we call an electrician or a joiner to do some repairs at home, we automatically expect a man to turn up. Certain jobs are subconsciously associated with one gender, as are specific roles in society. And when we refer here to differences between males and females, the third gender mostly doesn’t even spring to mind. In Germany, the third gender is termed using the German word “divers”, which just means “diverse”, but refers specifically to non-specific gender here. So, what is the situation like for intersex people, that is, people who at birth cannot be clearly defined as male or female due to their sex characteristics? How are they represented in society and in language? The importance of using gender-inclusive language is an important topic, as demonstrated by the “Divers*land” project by the Axel Springer Academy. “Divers*land” tells stories about people who identify as trans or intersex. Two of the makers of “Divers*land”, Laura Sophia Jung and Marc Pfitzenmaier, describe below what challenges they faced when developing the project.

There are people who do not fit into the binary gender system, who are not openly present in our society. This is a subject that is not only relevant on May 28, the German Diversity Day. A new law has been in place in Germany since December 22, 2018 that allows parents to enter their intersex children in the birth register as “diverse”. When children with a “diverse” entry grow up, they can change this entry. And yet we hardly see people who are “diverse” in this gender sense in the media. This is something we want to change with our final project at the Axel Springer Academy, which we have called “Divers*land”. We have created a platform on Instagram where people who identify as trans or intersex can tell their stories.

But where to begin?

First of all, we had to find people who are not very visible in the social networks and who also tend to keep a low profile in real life as well. The first step was to gain their trust and get them to tell their stories. To make sure we did things right, we invited experts from associations and organizations from the start to get a feeling about the correctway to address people and about how to deal with one another respectfully. At the initial meeting we already experienced our first “aha” moment when we learned that the term “transsexual” is wrong – because it suggests that it is about sexual orientation, and not about gender identity.

Axel Springer Akademie

We were certain we had thought of everything.

Then the first feedback came. It accused us of looking for people to take part in a “freak show”, of placing people who identify as trans and intersex people under one umbrella, and of having one goal in mind – to polish Axel Springer’s image. We tried to do everything right and we were confronted with prejudices.

One thing became clear to us – writing a mail using correct gender terms is not enough to combat discrimination. Using correct gender terminology is, of course, important, as are correct forms of address and a sensitive approach. This is particularly true for the media, where the best way to express ourselves concerning issues that matter in society are negotiated.

Blanket rules don’t always work.

To be honest, it’s not that difficult to gender-neutralize the words you write in journalism. But it doesn’t always make sense. When we’re talking about our national soccer team, they will always be “Jogi’s boys”. When writing about the election of a new Pope, we’ll always refer to a male successor. Not everything has to be gender-neutralized just for the sake of it. But when we’re talking about a group of people who are not exclusively men, then it is appropriate. Small changes to the language we use can have a big effect on society.

Elke Spörkel is a pastor and trans woman. Carolina Drüten and Richard Diesing, both doing their voluntary service at WELT, have accompanied her for several days: at home, at church services and at the pastoral work

Axel Springer Akademie

In the German language, the asterisk (*) shows that journalism needs more gender diversity – both in stories and in the editorial offices. We want to contribute towards this with the “Divers*land” project. Eleven protagonists took part and are now part of the project. They include people who are telling their story for the first time just for us, as well as some who have already told their story often.

The fact that they talked to us is not something to be taken for granted. It was the result of a long process of getting to know one another. Modern, diverse journalism means being willing to change and to make progress. Journalism must develop with society and open itself towards all readers.

Gender-neutralizing language for beginners. 3 tips for journalists from the “Divers*land” team: